New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) From creative menu tweaks to electrical appliances, Delhi restaurants and caterers are exploring ways to keep the city’s culinary buzz alive as a possible LPG crisis due to the West Asia conflict put them to test.
Industry representatives have said the restaurant sector is already witnessing declining supplies and uncertainty over the future availability of commercial LPG cylinders.
Manpreet Singh, Honorary Treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said the supply of gas to the restaurant sector has started drying up as the availability of commercial LPG cylinders declines.
“If the shortage continues for a few more days and prices increase or supply tightens further, it will become very difficult for restaurants to function,” Singh told PTI, adding restaurants may even be forced to modify their menus if the crisis deepens.
With the widening West Asia conflict disrupting energy supplies, the government has revised the priority order for allocating domestically produced natural gas, placing LPG production alongside CNG and piped cooking gas at the top.
Under the revised allocation, requirements of these sectors will be fully met first before gas is supplied to other sectors, according a gazette notification.
Amit Gupta, joint secretary of the New Delhi Traders’ Association, said restaurants may have to increasingly rely on electrical appliances if the shortage continues.
“If the situation continues like this, then we will have to buy electrical appliances to cope and serve food. But the cost of meals might increase as electricity costs in Connaught Place are already high,” he said.
Gupta added that restaurants may also have to remove certain dishes from their menus as not all cuisines can be prepared using electrical appliances.
Sumit, who runs ‘My Yellow’ cafe in Malviya Nagar, said he recently started the outlet and runs it entirely on LPG cylinders.
“My stock is coming to an end and my booking orders are not getting confirmed. This will effect many restaurants and business owners.” he said.
Joy Singh, co-founder of restaurant chain Raasta, told PTI that even though the situation in Delhi appears relatively more stable compared with some other major cities, some establishments have already begun exploring alternatives to reduce dependence on LPG.
“We have started making arrangements and are buying electrical appliances for cooking. We may also make a few changes in the menu so that we can save as much gas as possible,” he said.
“Restaurants may have to temporarily adapt by relying more on electric equipment wherever possible. However, that transition is not always seamless, as some cooking techniques and menu items are specifically designed for gas-based cooking,” said Arjun Sagar Gupta, Founder of The Piano Man.
“If the situation persists, operators may need to rationalise parts of the menu or adjust cooking processes to maintain consistency and service standards,” he added.
Another hotelier said that some restaurants may even be forced to “procure LPG from the black market” to sustain operations amid the shortage.
Sanjiv Mehra, president of the Khan Market Traders’ Association, said, “If there is a shortage of LPG, then we will have to resort to using piped natural gas.” Restaurant operators also said that outlets using piped natural gas have not yet faced major disruption, though the pressure levels have begun to decline.
“Some restaurants operate on piped gas, so they have not yet faced major issues, but the pressure levels have reduced from about 20 per cent to 18 per cent and it may decrease further,” a restaurateur, who did not wish to be named, said.
Conversations across industry groups have flagged that some interruptions could be expected, but the exact scale and timeline are still unclear.
According to industry representatives, the biggest impact could be on caterers and food operators in Delhi, as their operations depend heavily on LPG cylinders.
Following US-Israeli strikes inside Iran and Tehran’s sweeping retaliation across the region, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has sharply declined. The artery is the conduit for supply of most of India’s import of gas, in the form of LNG, as well as LPG.
With tanker movement being stalled, the government has reworked domestically available gas to keep the priority segments such as cooking needs of households and vehicular transport going.
In a letter dated March 7 to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the NRAI urged the government to ensure uninterrupted supply of commercial LPG cylinders to the restaurant industry, saying the outlets are largely dependent on LPG and any disruption could severely affect operations. PTI SGV SHB NB
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